Neighbours tell of street’s ‘living hell’

Elizabeth Broughton

HOTELIERS today said they had reported problems at a property on their street in the weeks leading up to the tragic stabbing of a resort man.

South Shore business owners claim they have endured months of anti-social behaviour associated with the property on Alexandra Road where 41-year-old Marc Davis was found dead in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Police forensics officers in the street outside the property.

Mr Davis had been stabbed to death.

Local hoteliers said they had called Blackpool Council to resolve issues with the property – a house of multiple-occupation – which is situated among many family-run hotels and guest houses.

The situation deteriorated so much Mitch Attridge, who lives next door, decided to put his hotel, The Haven, on the market eight weeks ago.

He said: “For the past two years we have been complaining and complaining. I don’t understand how we can have a whole street of hotels and then a house of multiple occupancy.

“It’s absolutely outrageous. It’s got to the stage where we have put our hotel on the market because we just can’t do it any more.

“We’ve lost lots of money from people who have booked in, spent one day but then left because they have said they can’t have their children staying next door to that house.

“It has been a living hell.”

Mr Attridge said over the last two years he has had to put up with fighting in the street and people shouting and swearing at his guests, as well as begging on his car park.

Fellow hotelier Ian Hamilton, from The Ascot, said: “We have been campaigning to have it shut down for months.

“It’s the only house of multiple occupancy we have on the street.

“I would like to see it completely renovated or shut down.”

And Wale Ogunbiyi, who owns the Princess Hotel, added: “I really hope something will be done about that building now.

“The police and PCSOs were there all the time.”

Blackpool Council has confirmed concerns have been raised about the property, with the landlord warned by both council staff and the police about his tenants’ behaviour.

Coun Gillian Campbell, cabinet member for housing, said: “This is a terrible situation for all of the community on or around Alexandra Road.

“Some residents had contacted us a few weeks ago about anti-social behaviour, and we had been dealing robustly with it.

“Along with the police, we recently met with the landlord, informing him of the nuisance that his tenants were causing, and that he should move them away from the community.

“Obviously we will now need to re-assess how the situation has changed given the weekend’s events.”

The police confirmed they had met with the landlord.

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